Boot Camp World Tour

Purpose: A review of the history and growth of Science Boot Camps (SBCs) for Librarians across North America. Methods: A panel of SBC planners gathered at the Midwinter meeting of the American Library Association in Chicago, IL, on January 31 2015 to share information with science librarians from across the U.S. and Canada. Results: While the financing, scheduling and number of attenders of SBCs vary, they share the same goals-- informal, inexpensive, regional opportunities for professional development and networking. All planners emphasized the value of SBCs, and noted the heaviest workload fell on the venue organizers. Conclusions: SBCs provide effective and economical opportunities for professional development. The SBC concept is robust, somewhat scalable, and is suitable for non-science disciplines as well